Rail travel includes everything from heritage steam trains to high-speed bullet trains, from sightseeing or dinner trains to the convenience of speed as a means of modern transport.
Understand
See also: Tips for rail travel
Railroads emerged in the 19th century as the first widely available means of fast land transportation, much before the rise of the automobile, and have put their mark on most countries and cities. Canada was unified only by rail until the Trans-Canada Highway was completed in 1961; in Russia, the Trans-Siberian Railway was the only coast-to-coast land transport until a Trans-Siberian Highway opened in the early 21st century.
The availability and quality of rail infrastructure varies greatly between countries. While countries such as Germany and Japan have an excellent rail network both in and between cities, passenger rail service in the United States – once a world leader in rail transport – has fallen far behind its road network, and some countries are completely devoid of rail.
Rail travellers might encounter timetables and information being available in local languages only, poorly translated information or hard to understand ticketing requirements.
Public transportation networks are often made up of regular trains and commuter trains, together with urban rail systems such as metro and streetcars, as well as buses.
Categories
- Public transportation – metro, elevated rail, light rail, streetcars etc.
- Urban rail adventures – there are interesting urban rail experiences to be had.
- Rail air alliances – while trains and planes often compete, sometimes airlines and railways cooperate.
- Sleeper trains – once the preferred way to reach many places, it is still a good way to get around in style and sometimes surprisingly cheap.
- Tourist trains
- Heritage railways
- Steam – while associated with heritage railways, there are still regular steam train services, especially in Africa and East Asia.
- High-speed rail – the most modern form of rail travel; capable of travelling at more than 250km/h without the hassle of getting to an airport and through security
- Enthusiast rail travel – some just are interested in rail transport of all forms
Africa
Asia
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- Rail travel in China
- High-speed rail in South Korea
- Rail travel in India
- Rail travel in Japan
- Rail travel in Russia
- Trans-Siberian Railway
- Seishun 18 Ticket (Japan)
Europe
Main article: Rail travel in Europe
- European rail passes
- Rail travel in France
- Rail travel in Germany
- Rail travel in Great Britain
- Rail travel in Ireland
- Rail travel in Italy
- Rail travel in the Netherlands
- Rail travel in Russia
- Rail and bus travel in Sweden
- Rail travel in Switzerland
- Rail travel in the Czech Republic
North America
